So I am finally stepping into the blog-o-sphere after kind nudging from a few of my friends. My hindrance to blogging has been that there are already so many great blogs with such good info that I thought “what do I have to add?” I am still trying to figure this out but after praying about it I figured I would jump in.
I thought I would start off by sharing my story:
Well in first grade…ha-ha just kidding I will not bore you with all the details of my life. The greatest thing you need to know about me is that I am nothing without my Father in heaven who by His grace has given me life and life abundantly. Very simply: I am an ordinary guy with an incredible relationship with the creator of the universe.
Here are a few highlights:
The greatest day of my life was at a small church in Crelin, West Virginia. As I entered the church, I experienced a love I had never experienced before. I couldn’t say it at the time but deep down I was longing for this love to fill a void in my life. I had spent most of my high school/college years trying to fill this void with drugs and alcohol. This never got me anywhere except a brief reprieve from a life filled with lies because I did not like who I was.
When the church service began, I became very engaged in what the Pastor was sharing and enjoyed the music. As the service was coming to a close, a gentleman who I had met the night before came up to me and asked me if I knew Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I had never heard a question like this before. But it’s not like I haven’t ever been to a church before (I went to Catholic church growing up), it was just a question that had never been posed to me in that way. My question back to him was, “doesn’t my family have to be here?” He said that would be great but it is really about you and God. Without taking another breath I then asked him why would the Lord take away some of my friends (I had multiple friends die in high school). He said that he wasn’t sure and that God’s thinking is so superior to ours that I may never know but if I accepted Him as my Savior He would begin to reveal to me what He was teaching me in and through those circumstances. I thought, ‘well shoot-after all the drugs, alcohol and counseling that is the best answer I have ever heard!’ He then said if you would like to make that decision today let me know, I am going to go back and sit with my wife. In all honesty I thought that conversation was over. But before the service was over they played one last song, AMAZING GRACE.
As the song began to play, God began to break my heart. I started to feel great remorse for my sin and began crying. This is the day I felt freedom to the core of who I was for the first time. This is the day I began my relationship with Christ. “I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” – John Newton
The second greatest day of my life was on November 9, 2001. That is the day I got to married to the woman God placed on this earth to captivate my heart second to Him. Kailea is a woman who loves the Lord her God with all of her heart, soul and strength. Plus, she is also really HOT!! She is an amazing Pastor’s wife. I thank the Lord for her and I promise to serve her all the days of my life. I am really selfish so please pray I stay disciplined in doing this all the days of my life.
I have been blessed with two amazing parents who have been married for 30 years. Of all the parents the Lord could have blessed me with, He gave me them and I am eternally grateful for that. My sister is an incredible young woman who has learned at an early age that it is better to give than to receive. I love them so much and pray that their love and hope would be rooted in faith and would continue to grow more and more every day.
Currently I have the amazing privilege of being the Campus Pastor at Frontline Arlington in Rosslyn, VA (right across the river from DC.)
Since I have never done this before I am not sure of the format but I normally share things that are on my heart or things I am learning, or something about world events (typically about the persecuted church), or some illumination from God that has fired me up and I feel like I have to get it down on my electronic paper.
A life that is focused on the glory and wisdom of God is a life that is focused on prayer. With this said I will also include prayer requests and I expect that you will also share prayer requests with me. One of the greatest things I can ever do as Pastor is intercede on your behalf. When you give me a prayer request I promise to pray for it. Our Father loves when we talk with Him. One of the greatest ways we see an unseen God is through answered prayer.
So thanks for joining me on this journey. I’m excited to see how God uses this online community for His Glory.
Edward
